The Cat Who Loved Me

(Or so I think!) Gisha and I went for a morning walk today. My car was at the mechanic’s, so we couldn’t walk at Ada Hayden. So she said she’d drive to my place, and we’d walk randomly around the area. As I was waiting for her, I saw the ginger cat belonging to the people upstairs sitting on the grass. I am terrified of cats. I think I must have been scarred psychologically by a cat who scratched me when I was a kid. So scarred actually, that I remember no such incident! And in general, the little felines dislike me and never fail to show their displeasure by growling at me almost without exception. So this morning, when I saw her, I ignored her. As Gisha was pulling in, I saw the cat standing much closer to me. It let out an incredibly soft mew. So I spoke to her, “What a tiny noise you make, you poor thing! Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.” I paid no more attention to it, and G. and I went for our walk.

When we returned, the cat was still there, and it showed an incredible interest in me, and quite unafraid, started to walk towards me. This made me terribly uncomfortable, and I got scared. It kept letting out those soft mews. I tried to dodge the cat, but it kept walking quite straight at me. I panicked and hid behind Gisha’s SUV. The cat settled down. I reappeared, and it got up again and tried to follow me. By this time, I was completely freaked out. I don’t want strange cats to start taking a fancy to me. It looked too gentle to do me any harm, and purred quite lovingly at me. But what spooked me was that it paid all this attention to me, and not to Gisha. Anyway, I got into the SUV, and G. drove around the block. I was biding my time, and hoping the cat would disappear. But it didn't. In the end, Gisha dropped me off. I picked up a stick, and kept it between me and the cat. It stood up again, and followed me with its eyes, purring away. I was terrified out of my wits, and once I turned the corner, made a mad dash for my door hoping that the cat wouldn’t follow. I called Gisha, and she was laughing as she drove away. “What perfume were you wearing?” she asked. I have no idea what it was that made this poor creature so drawn to me in particular. I wish I had the guts to pet her, she looked so sweet. But I have a feeling I’m not going to ever do that. So for the next couple of years, my main task is going to be avoiding the cat every time I enter or leave the driveway. My nerves will be shot!